LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Months ago, baristas at Heine Brothers Coffee locations across the Louisville area rallied to form a union. Now, they've voted to unionize.

As many as 221 Heine Brothers workers at the chain's 17 coffee shops were anticipated to cast ballots Thursday on whether to join the Service Employees International Union. The one-day election ended at 9 p.m. at the local chain's headquarters in the Portland neighborhood.

Around 10 p.m. Thursday, The Heine Brothers Coffee Union tweeted that they had won and their vote to unionize had passed. 

In a news release just after 11 p.m., organizers said they had won the election "with a significant majority." The group will host a press event Friday afternoon.

The next step is for workers to "negotiate a fair contract for all Heine Brothers' workers" with the coffee company. 

It was the biggest union vote in the city in years and the most prominent example of a recent uptick in local union activity.

A group of baristas publicized the campaign last spring, saying they are underpaid and underappreciated in a busy, stressful job. They want better wages, healthcare for part-time workers and more staffing support.

Heine Brothers has said in a statement, “(W)e do not believe third party representation is needed at Heine Brothers. However, we respect our Team Members’ right to make the decision to be represented by a union or not.

“As we have said, we will respect the outcome of a fair and legal election, and we fully intend to do so. We look forward to putting this election behind us, and as we have done for the past 28 years, we will continue to focus on being a great place to work, delivering a remarkable coffee shop experience to our customers, and doing our part to make a positive difference in our community.”

This story may be updated.

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